The present invention relates to rack structures mounted on vehicles for the purpose of transporting motorcycles or the like.
The transport of a motorcycle by a vehicle is complicated by reason of the fact that a motorcycle is both of substantial weight and size. The rack prior art discloses several arrangements for supporting of a motorcycle adjacent a vehicle bumper. Such racks are positionable for purposes of motorcycle loading and/or to provide access to a vehicle carried camper unit. Examples of such racks are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,366,256; 3,655,082; 3,695,469 and 3,731,830. A rack disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,528,578 is adapted for vertical movement alone. A common requirement of such racks is that they require at least partially lifting of the motorcycle into place on the rack which requires considerable strength in view of typical motorcycle weights being in excess of 200 pounds, as for example, the last mentioned patent calls for the use of an automobile jack to lift the motorcycle and rack into an elevated position for travel.
The prior art racks, in addition to requiring considerable physical effort, do not lend themselves to loading and transport of more than one motorcycle in a rapid and convenient manner.
A further problem encountered with existing motorcycle racks is that they preclude, for the most part, the mounting and use of trailer hitches subjacent the rearward bumper of the vehicle.